Jekiri’s soaring night helped the Hurricanes (15-8, 5-5 ACC) break their three-game losing streak with a 56-45 win over Clemson. The junior finished with six points, but added to his ACC-best rebounding average with a career-high 17 boards. He blocked five shots.

UM said Monday morning its stat crew missed a sequence with 4:50 left in the game that included a Jekiri offensive rebound. The review boosted his total from 16 to his career-high of 17. In the last 20 years, only Tim James, Reggie Johnson and Jekiri have two games of at least 16 rebounds for Miami.

But after the game, coach Jim Larranaga heckled him from the back of the room for driving and dunking “for the first time in his career.”

Jekiri has a penchant for jumpers, so it was refreshing to see him use his considerable size and strength to finish an offensive play. It was hardly brute force, either. Jekiri explained how he took advantage of his man helping on double-team, which is a good sign for a player just five years into his basketball career. He’s thinking more clearly.

“I think it’s an isolated incident right now,” Larranaga said. “We have worked with him constantly since he came here of learning the nuances of the game. He did that completely on his own. He deserves all the credit.”

As for the win, Larranaga called it “huge.”

“We’re capable,” he said. “But in order to play consistently well, first, you have to give consistent effort. You’ve got to bring energy to the defensive end of the floor. You’ve got to execute the game plan.”

Leaders respond: Larranaga said he sat down with the team Thursday and outlined clear expectations for each player. Angel Rodriguez: get others involved and play aggressively. Sheldon McClellan: find more shots for yourself.

Message received. McClellan poured in a game-high 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting (3-of-5 from three) and Rodriguez contributed nine points, five assists and two steals.

Down 25-24 to start the second half, McClellan sank a three to kick-start a 20-5 run to open the second half. Among the highlights: Rodriguez stole the ball and hit McClellan for a fast-break slam. Jekiri threw down his rare dunk. Rodriguez drove and tossed in a floater. Then he stopped at the top of the key and threw an alley-oop to McClellan for a 14-point lead.

Clemson called timeout. Miami found its confidence and was moving the ball as well as it had since its blowout win at Duke on Jan. 13.

Has Rodriguez found his stroke? Probably not. He missed a heat-check three a couple possessions after the timeout. By the end of the game Clemson left him open. He finished 1-for-6 from deep and is 8-for-43 in seven-game stretch going back to Duke.

After Miami took that 14-point lead with 11 minutes to play, Clemson cut it to three after Miami made just one of their next eight shots and committed two turnovers. What closed it out: Manu Lecomte’s consecutive threes gave Miami a 52-43 lead with 3:30 left. Rodriguez and McClellan each made a when the Tigers began the foul brigade. Clemson missed its last 12 shots and didn’t score in the final 3:11.

Uceda’s spark: Miami was only down one point at the half because of Ivan Cruz Uceda, who hit from downtown three possessions in a row. He finished with 10 points and five rebounds (3-for-6 from three, 3-for-8 overall). However, he played two minutes in the second half due to a combination of elbow soreness and his defense, which is not yet up to Larranaga’s standard.

Larkin returns: Former Hurricanes star ShaneLarkin attended with two of his New York Knicks teammates, CleanthonyEarly and Miami native TimHardawayJr. The first 4,000 fans in attendance received a Larkin bobblehead figurine. Larranaga lauded the crowd’s energy, especially in the second half, for giving his team a lift. Attendance was announced at 6,351z. “Maybe it was the Shane Larkin bobblehead that brought everyone out,” Larranaga mused.

Miami hoops continued its history-making ways Thursday night when point guard Shane Larkin became the highest-drafted Cane since the old San Francisco Warriors selected Rick Barry second in the 1965 NBA Draft.